Picking up from last week, we get to the part of God sending down fire and lapping up the last of even the water in the trenches surrounding the bull. That was quite a show. But as spectacular as that event was, we need to keep focusing on this very ordinary man, made extraordinary through his faith and absolute dedication as a man of prayer.

Here's the deal. Elijah, while yes he was a prophet of the living God, was and is still just a man; an ordinary man, just like you and me. James, Jesus' brother, said of Elijah in his letter to those Jewish Christians who most probably lived beyond Palestine, that Elijah was just an ordinary man, very much no different than you and me.

I'd have to guess that none of us is going to be called upon to call down fire on a bull sacrifice anytime soon. But how did Elijah have such confidence and boldness in his request of God?

Last week we looked at prayer, not as rote repetition, but as real conversation. For Elijah, his conversations with our Living God were not only real, but they were frequent. His boldness, his courage, and his follow-through were all tremendously affected by the fact that he had personally seen our God act many times before.

Pray for real. Have real heart to hearts with the Lord. And do it often. Let's listen to this week's message.

Prayer has got to be one of the most fundamental differences between "nominal" Christians and real Christians. Boy, that sounds harsh. But really, think about it. What is prayer, particularly when looking at every instance in Scripture?

It's not rote repetition. It's definitely a conscious conversation between two people. In this case one of those people has a capital P. There are innumerable examples throughout the Old & New Testaments, but the historical record of Elijah is one of the best.

We've been given this incredible privilege of going directly, DIRECTLY, to the Living God in conversation, yet we keep trying to live our life out on our own. No consult. No conversation. No feedback. Just keep on truckin' and hoping things will work out. Let's start having a consistent conversation.

The more we learn about who we are should invoke more of a response in us as to how we behave and how we affect or can affect others. Isn't that a major part, or possibly even the most important part of life... being this incredible source of outpouring to others. We want to be of value, both to God and to those people whom He brings across our daily paths.